Issue 9 (November)

Dear Friends,

In this issue of Women's Learning Partnership's (WLP) eNews we are pleased to report on the success of our recent Transnational Partners Convening in Lebanon. Our sincerest thanks to our partner Collective for Research and Training on Development-Action (CRTD-A) for hosting and coordinating the meeting. The gathering provided an opportunity to review and evaluate our work and to develop a three-year development plan for the Partnership. The meeting was an energizing opportunity to build solidarity, strengthen and expand partner linkages, and strategize on the Partnership's collaborative projects for women's empowerment. Partners reaffirmed their commitment to work together to strengthen the transnational women's movement emerging from the Global South.

WLP's framework and methodology for transnational cooperation built around dialogue-based horizontal and participatory communication has resulted in the growth of a Partnership that includes women's organizations in 15 countries including Afghanistan, Cameroon, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Palestine, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Zimbabwe. Together, the Partnership has conducted leadership trainings with more than 4,000 women, developed IT training centers for women in the Middle East and Africa, and produced culture-specific multimedia learning tools in nine languages. Participants in WLP's programs have developed and implemented projects in their communities to address issues such as women's economic empowerment, adult literacy, women's reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, advocating for family laws that better protect women's rights, and increasing the number of women candidates in local and national elections. Please join us in our efforts to advance women's rights and freedoms around the world by making a contribution to WLP. To find out how you can support our work, click here.

Warmest Regards,
Mahnaz Afkhami
President
Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace

In this Issue

• Articles
• WLP Convenes Transnational Partners Meeting in Beirut
• WLP Partner Spotlight

• Latest News
• Maghreb Regional Learning Institute for Women’s Leadership and Training of Trainers
• WLP Welcomes New Staff Member Anne Bwomezi
• Support Our Work Today

Maghreb Regional Learning Institute for Women’s Leadership and Training of Trainers

WLP in cooperation with our partner in Morocco, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM), is convening the Maghreb Regional Learning Institute for Women’s Leadership and Training of Trainers from December 11-14, 2004 in Marrakech, Morocco. The Institute is a learning center for empowering women to participate as leaders in the decision-making processes in all areas of social, political, and economic life. The goal of the Institute is to train women’s rights activists in the Maghreb Region to become better trainers and advocates for women’s equal participation in civil society. Institute participants, which include 27 women’s rights activists and leaders of women’s groups from Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia, will take part in facilitation, communications, and advocacy skills training. Among the topics to be discussed are how to communicate effectively to influence decision-makers and mobilize the public and how to translate organizational visions into compelling messages that resonate with various groups and constituencies.

WLP Welcomes New Staff Member Anne Bwomezi

WLP welcomes Anne Bwomezi who joined the WLP team as Program Associate last month. Anne will coordinate WLP’s leadership program and liaise with partners and field project coordinators in Africa and the Middle East. Prior to joining WLP she completed a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowship with the National Endowment for Democracy. She has extensive experience as an NGO leader and human rights advocate, and has held diplomatic and management positions at the UN and in the Uganda civil service. She holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Makerere University in Uganda and a Postgraduate Diploma in International Law and Master of Laws Degree from University of London in the UK. Anne’s experience and expertise are a valuable addition to WLP.

Support Our Work Today!

Your generous support for WLP and our partners’ efforts will help advance women’s rights and freedoms around the world! You can make a difference! Please send your tax-deductible donation today.

$50 – Provides leadership training materials for two women in Afghanistan

$100 – Provides a scholarship for one woman to participate in an eLearning course

$250 – Enables a woman in Jordan to attend a technology training Institute

$500 – Enables five women to develop their advocacy skills in Morocco

To make an online gift, click here or please send a check payable to Women’s Learning Partnership. Contributions may also be made through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) by designating Women's Learning Partnership CFC#: 1041.

"Before attending this workshop I believed that only men could be successful leaders and heads of countries. The WLP workshops helped me understand that women also have the ability to be effective leaders and should be equal partners in our society." —Leadership workshop participant in Afghanistan

"I ran for election. Although I did not have much of a chance to win, I received more than 1300 votes-- a substantial number in that election. This was one of the best experiences of my life in terms of developing my self confidence." —Workshop participant in rural Jordan

"Nothing in the world is impossible if we work together." —Women refugees at leadership training in Zimbabwe

"This workshop helped me to unlearn what I have been taught to believe about women being the inferior sex and their inability to be leaders. I now believe in myself and in all women. I will never underestimate women and what they can contribute as leaders to make Nigeria a better place for all." —Leadership workshop participant in Nigeria